hello, everybody. this is cnn sunday morning. how are you doing today? >> what was that for? >> good morning, everybody. >> it's 6:00 here in atlanta. 3:00 a.m. out in oakland, california. we have a big week. confirmation hearings for that lady right there the president's pick for sonia sotomayor. you know how this pretty much goes. the republicans are expected to grill her pretty good.

democrats expect to prop her up and make her load good. we'll look at this nominee. the first hispanic on the high court if confirmed. >> i want to give you a live look at space shuttle "endeavour" on the launch pad this morning. yesterday as blast was a no go. so we'll tell you why it was delayed and when the next attempt will be to send it into outer space. >> it's been a long week for the president last week. he finally made it back home with his family. here's a shot of them arriving at the white house. just after midnight last night. it included arms talk with russia. he was at the g-8 in italy. the last stop, of course, was the 17th century castle in ghana that made africans slave. then anderson cooper gets a one on one exclusive with the president in ghana.

>> 5,000 people gathered in hattiesburg to remember steve mcnair. among them, titan's quarterback vince young. >> steve was like, you know, a hero, a hero to me, and heroes are not supposed to die. >> emotional there. nashville police said mcnair was shot and killed by his mistress on july 4th. he leaves a wife and four children behind. >> mexican officials say three federal officers were killed in six planned attacks across eight cities. 18 officers also wounded. the attacks happened yesterday and are believed to be retribution after police arrested a high ranking member of a drug gang. as we mentioned a moment ago confirmation hearings zpourt

nominee sonia sotomayor start tomorrow. we don't have a witness list. >> yes we do, republicans are expected to bring a firefighter from connecticut. he was a plaintiff in a reverse discrimination case rejected by sotomayor. her ruling was recently overturned by the supreme court. and the democrats witnesses include new york mayor michael bloomberg and former fbi director. according to a new cnn opinion research poll, 47% of americans want sotomayor confirmed. 40% say they are opposed to her confirmation. so if she is confirmed, sotomayor will become the first latina to serve on the high court. >> this is always high drama, these confirmation hearings. you can see them all right here on cnn starting at 10:00 even time to your. sometimes these things -- a lot

of senators are grandstanding. make being more speeches than asking questions. always interesting. live on cnn. also the president just wrapped up his overseas trip and had a little tough love. >> watched that live yesterday morning. the first family's most poignant stop was at the castle. it held enslaved africans before they were forced on boats never to see their homelands again. ed henry wraps up the president's overseas trips for us. >> reporter: a day of extraordinary moments none more powerful than the first african-american president visiting a former slave forth treasu -- fortress with his family. >> it's important especially for my daughters who grow up in a blessed way to be reminded that history can take very cruel turns. >> reporter: after touring the

castle which the british used as a slave dungeon, president obama compared its power to his recent to a german concentration camp. >> it is reminiscent of a trip i took to buchenwald, because it remind us of the capacity of human beings to commit great evil. >> reporter: the president used his personal connection to deliver some tough love in a speech to the parliament of ghana earlier in the kay. >> we must start from the simple premise that africa's future is up to africans. i say this knowing full well the tragic past that sometimes has haunted this part of the world. after all, i have the blood of africa within me. and my family's -- my family's own story encompasses both the tragedies and triumphs of the larger african story. >> reporter: he chastised

african leaders over corruption. >> no one wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20% off the top. or the head of the port authority is corrupt. no person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. that is not democracy, that is tyranny. >> reporter: mr. obama's father was from kenya. he chose ghana as his first stop as president because he wanted to highlight its stable democracy and growing economy. he mixed the stern lectures with inspiration. he played with babies, working rope lines, even ending his parliament speech with a familiar slogan. >> the world will be what you make of it. you have the power to hold your

leaders accountable and to build institutions that serve the people. you can serve in your communities and harness your energy and education to create new wealth and build new connections for the world. you can conquer disease and end conflicts and make change from the bottom up. you can do that. yes, you can. >> reporter: this wraps a week long trip that took the president from russia for arms talks to italy for high level negotiations with the world's largest economy. mr. obama said he also decided to stop here in ghana to show the 21st century won't be shaped by what happens in moscow and rome but what happens in tiny capitals in africa. while president obama has been concentrating on global diplomatic issue, his domestic agenda has been taking a bit of a hit. paul, thanks for being with us

today. >> reporter: good morning. >> let's start with the latest cnn poll. how has public opinion changed when it comes to the president? >> reporter: his numbers are still pretty high. eight out of ten americans like barack obama as a person but take a look at the specific things. strong leader, seven out of ten say he's a strong leader. that's a slight deterioration from february. he is tough enough to handle world crises? 64%, down nine points from february. has he a clear plan to get the country out of the problems it's in, down 11 points from february. still very good numbers that any politician would like but we're seeing a deterioration. >> let's talk about the economic crisis and his handling of that. what are people saying about it when it comes to effectiveness. >> take a look at these numbers. you can see we asked specifically about whether he can manage the government effectively, and six out of ten americans say yes. that's an important number because right now he's juggling so many things from the economy

to health care reform to clean energy reform. six out of ten americans still say the president can manage the government effectively. >> pretty good numbers. still seeing a dropoff. is that cause for concern or typical? >> reporter: a little of both. when a president is first sworn in, he's like a shiny brand new car. but once he's in power, he's been in power for six month, numbers come down a little bit and we've seen that with this president. we've seen it with past president. this president's numbers are high enough that he can use that as clout when he tries to get through major things like health care reform, energy reform and immigration reform through congress. as of now yes his numbers are still high enough it makes him effective. >> you need a lot of clout. let's talk about that. when it comes to instilling confidence, what are the poll numbers? >> reporter: you need to inspire confidence in americans. we asked just that in our poll.

you can see, a little more than seven out of ten americans say the president inspires confidence. that number is not down very much at all from february when it was 75%. that's important because the president needs characteristics like this to be able to get things done. we've seen the president's numbers on the economy, dealing with the deficit so there are some serious drops in some places but not when it comes to inspiring confidence. >> we appreciate your insight. thank you. attorney general eric holler is considering whether to appoint a criminal prosecutor to investigate bush's interrogating terror suspects. holder is expected to make a decision within the next few weeks. this is our top story right now on cnn.com.

check out our website. we were just talking about. talked about it yesterday. you and i were there. do the right thing. it is 20 years old. actually, it was part of president obama and michele's first date. >> isn't that interesting. >> very interesting. >> do the right thing. >> we were do the right thing on cnn, spike lee was in, we had him with us yesterday. talked to him about the lasting effect on race relations that his movie had. so it's still relevance today a lot of people would say. >> we'll talk about small town on the verge of disappearing. now it is coming back. here's a question. how is business actually booming in this kind of an economy. we'll show you. now, havin' a cuppa tea. gecko vo: takes lots of sweat to become that big. gecko vo: 'course, geckos don't literally sweat... it's just not our thing...

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heat advisory out from dallas southward all the way to houston. we also saw it across the southwest. now the desert southwest excessively hot. typically you would think the desert southwest would be hot. but temperatures are running five to ten degrees above what they should be. let's look at phoenix. they soared to 107 degrees yesterday. and today on par to hit that same mark as well. so the excessive heat continues there. tucson yesterday for the first time this year has made it to 105 degrees. and they will be just about 106 degrees for this afternoon. our other big story is the rainfall expected to move off the northeast coast, finally. let's take a live picture out of boston, had showers early they are morning in the boston area. but you'll be clearing out just a little bit and thankfully things will be warming up as well. our big story are the thunderstorms rumbling across north central united states. take a look at this from dakotas

into minnesota, also right along this border between nebraska also into kansas. look for the threat of some big thunderstorms there as well. betty, t. j., back to you. . >> we've heard too many stories about communities crumbling after a major employer like an automaker pulls out. >> not this one. >> reporter: in the heart of the south, the face of tiny west point, georgia is literally changing. the old pizza hut is a korean barbecue, the old kfc, discarded. jobs once scarce are finally returning. >> like christmas time. like christmas. >> reporter: christmas in the middle of a recess? in west point, yes. >> we jokingly call it kiaville. >> reporter: the korean car company is about to open a sprawling manufacturing plant, thanks to $400 million in texas

breaks. even in the midst of a recess the company will hire 2,500 new workers as spleers and businesses and the mayor says west point population 3,500 stands to gain 20,000 jobs over the next five years. divine intervention. >> the economic activity is incredible. the trickle down effect to the local economy has been staggering. >> reporter: remarkable for a city that was becoming a ghost town. textile mills shut down in the '90s. >> did you ever think you would be making car part? >> no not at all. >> not in a million years? >> no. >> reporter: new construction is every where. at roger's barbecue, business is booming. >> they are coming back. >> reporter: this car wash business is up 70%.

and down the street at irish bread public, ruth ann williams invested her live savings in the business. it's paying off. >> i came here, i wanted to come down to this area because of kia. we jumped in with both feet. >> reporter: how is this tiny rural community adapting to the new asian infusion? does west point feel more like a melting pot? >> yes. we have the culture coming in. . >> reporter: from mill town to manufacturing mecca a bright spot in an otherwise gray economy. >> for more money and main street stories check out "american morning", thursday morning starting at 6:00 a.m. so what are cnn.com viewers watching the most these days? >> what are they watching? >> we want to know. >> good morning. guys. check this out. it looks like red bark but it's actually a lady bug infestation

just outside of someone's house. plus, an out of body experience that might help amputtees. we'll show you. i would say convenience is something that the bank of america really has the market cornered on. let me make it easier for you. let me show you how i can make it easier for you. we have the number one rated online banking website. online banking is going to be your best friend; it's going to help you manage your money. it has an alert system that can text message you, so you're mobile banking, your bank's telling you what you current balance is. it's telling you a certain check is cleared. customers that use the internet, use online banking. it all kind of falls in with what you're doing, and it's free. you can pay all your bills online, customers can save tons of time. we have great new image atms. it will give you a receipt which has a copy of the check you deposited. deposit cash, any denomination

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it works. okay. imagine this. that you wake up one morning, you look outside, and a tree has turned red, bright red. either you had a long night, perhaps too much fun or something is wrong. >> this is one of the most popular videos on cnn.com. >> number one. late yesterday. still is through this morning. people are clicking on this like crazy. you can see it behind me. this came to us from kusa.

they are not giving away the name of the couple who lives on this property because this couple doesn't want everyone coming and staring, but basically, this just happened and they don't understand why. these millions of lady bugs that have decided to have this giant infestation on the tree right outside of their house in jefferson county, colorado and as you can see, they have covered all the bark and people who did see it are gawking. it's incredible. now talk about incredible. i told you guys about this new thing happening at the sears tower where these have these glass balconies. take a look. i want to show everyone this i-report photos we've gotten, one of our most popular features on cnn.com. you go up. on the 103rd floor. only glass. you look straight down to the ground and one of our frequent i-reporters went up there, took these i-report photos of people

checking it out. some people very afraid of it. >> sfrigtenning. >> i would do it but still -- what is he doing? >> you know, actually this guy who took the pictures say they have to have these cleaning crews to clean up the nose aspirin and hand prints from the ground. yeah. it's a new one. one more cool thing i want to show you. this is wild. this is virtual reality system, researchers have set up, again one of the popular stories on cnn.com. when you have those goggles on they show you a video of a dummy next to you and it makes you feel like the dummy's body next to you is yours. >> reporter: first the subject wears a head mounted unit. when she looks down this is what she sees. the researcher touches the body and the dummy's body

simultaneously. the possibilities are endless. cameras could show how you appear to others and help improve low self-esteem. am you tea-- amputees could get some help with their limbs. >> the technology with that is incorrected scribble. thank you. we do want to hear from you this morning, get a story that's coming up and here are the ways you can reach us. facebook, twitter, i-report, cnn, weekends at cnn. here's a story in a nutshell. there are two zoos in boston that are on the verge of close, they are running out of funding. if they close and can't find homes for some of the animals up 20% could be euthanized.

is that the only solution? we'll read some responses on the air. >> we'll have more about that story. go ahead and give them a little nibble but that will get people wondering. >> we've been talking about it all morning long. >> they going to kilty gears or who know what? >> an emotional visit for president obama and his family. they toured a shipping port for african slaves. anderson cooper was there with the president. he has an exclusive interview with the president. >> she could be the first latina to serve on the united states supreme court. so, is she a good fit? we'll show you what people are saying. m when they're made... with splenda® no calorie sweetener. sweet! splenda®. imagine life sweeter®.

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welcome back to the cnn sunday morning. i'm t. j. holmes. let's give you and update on the story that has a lot of us scratching our heads and have a lot of people wondering what's going on in florida. they are questioning two people in connection with a couple known for adopting special-needs children. police said they located a red van used in the slayings. the couple were found dead in their home in florida. a third person being sought for questioning. >> 400 san diego jailed inmates are quarantined after one tested positive for swine flu. sheriff's officials said the inmates have been isolated and given drugs. visitations to the prison has been suspended. swine flu has killed 211 people in the united states. >> first family arriving back in the states just after midnight. they arrived back from africa, their last spot before leaving

ghana. from a port used for slaved africans. anderson cooper met with the president and asked the president a whole lot of things but he asked him about america's history with slavery. >> do you think what happened here still has resonance in america? that the slave experience still is something that should be talked about and should be remembered, and should be present in every day life? >> i think that the experience of slavery is like the experience of the holocaust. i think it's one of those things you don't forget about. it's important that the way we think about it and the way it's taught is not one in which there's simply a victim and a victimizer, and that's the end of the story. i think the way it has to be thought about, the reason it's relevant is because whether it's, what's happening in darfur

or what's happening in the congo, or what's happening in too many places around the world, you know the capacity for cruelty exists. >> you can catch anderson's exclusive interview with president tomorrow night at 10:00 eastern. in about 24 hours judge sonia sotomayor finally faces a senate committee that could make her this country's first latina supreme court justice. a majority of those questioned in a new cnn opinion research corporation poll say that 47% believe that the senate should approve her nomination. however, though, 40% say no way. 13%, well they are still unsure. for more about public sentiment on the eve of her public hearing, let's bring in our political advisor. is there a divide in the

sotomayor support along party lines? >> reporter: our poll shows a big partisan divide. take a look at these numbers. you can see almost seven out of ten democrats feel the senate should confirm sonia sotomayor. independents appear to be split. republicans one in four think that sotomayor should be confirmed. look at that number in the lower right. 65% of republicans say they don't think she should be confirmed. our polling director points out that number is a lot higher than the number of republicans who didn't think that judge ginsberg should have been confirmed back in the '90s and higher than the number of democrats who felt roberts and alitto should not have been confirmed. >> let's move from that to this hot button issue that we'll hear about. could that stand in the way of her getting a confirmation? >> reporter: it could. americans have a different opinions. we asked if sonia sotomayor is qualified, could senators be

justified in voting against her. some of those issue, affirmative action and gun rights could come up. american are split and different than it used to be back in the day, if somebody was qualified they should antibiotic proved. >> democrats and republicans split. we've seen the poll numbers. is there anything they agree on when it comes to sonia sotomayor? >> reporter: one thing. not so good. we asked what do you think will happen coming up on the confirmation hearings and you can see six out of ten say a major fight between the parties and less than four out of ten think it will be a bipartisan kind of week. could be some fireworks. >> we'll be watching very closely starting tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. when those kick off. paul, thank you so much. you can see sotomayor's confirmation hearings right here on cnn, follow the pointed questions about her background, rulings, even those controversial rulings and speeches all live on cnn all this week. animal lovers out there, you

know what? you don't have to be that big of an animal lover. boston franklin part zoorks they have budget issues. people may lose their jobs. but there's more to it. some of the animals may have to be euthanized. >> up to 20% if they can't find homes for these animals. it takes into account if these zoos do close. we're not sure they are going to. they are on the path to closing. if they close and can't find homes for some of these animal, 20%, up to 20% could be euthanized. >> that doesn't sit right with a lot of folks. the governor, it's part of his budget, we have a veto here, overturned. the legislature could step in and overturn what the governor is trying to do which they have

a $6.5 billion budget being cut. >> i talked to several legislators the other day, they said they will try to override the veto of the governor. >> whatever their budget was to be was not based on the -- >> you get the idea. more than 1,000 animals at the zoo. officials estimate they may not find homes for 200 of them. it's hard to imagine that to walk through there and think any zoo if they have to close some of these animals will be put down. >> yes. absolute. hard to think about. at the same time if you can pay for the food and upkeech these animals where do you take a giraffe? not like you put them in your backyard. but i have a feeling that people

out there, if this doesn't resolve itself people will step in. >> this is what we want to hear from you on. this and a lot of other topics. if you have any ideas what should they do? do you have a way they can make some money or tough times right now, zoo is not a priority. go to i-report, facebook, twitter. >> we'll read your responses on the air. >> space shuttle "endeavour" still sitting and waiting to go somewhere, talk about lightning. >> wait for it. >> wait for it. >> we're waiting. we were told to hang on by our producer. there you go. we got a little still photo of it. there you go. the video is moving. lightning -- a beautiful thing. not so good when you're trying to launch a spacecraft. check out the weather in cape canaveral, florida. we'll talk about the next possible liftoff time and also

this, the life expectancy of black men is eight years shorter than the national average. >> we'll meet a man who is working to change that. oh! tada! fantastically tasty, huh? ummm, it's good. what would you guys like? hamburger helper. what?! one pound... one pan... one tasty meal! i'm showing my helping hand by partnering with hamburger helper®. our goal is to help feeding america deliver more than three and a half million meals to food banks. more information is available at showyourhelpinghand.com. in a long line of amazing performance machines. this is the new e-coupe.

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♪ maroon 5 this morning. talking about rain falling. rain is the reason why the shuttle "endeavour" was delayed yet again yesterday. they've tried to do this three times. >> this time a lot of lightning strikes within about a third of the mile of the pad. take a look. very spectacular. the i-report -- that's not the shuttle. there we go. we have the nasa video. visibility was next to zero. they have a lot of parameters, depending on what happens around the pad. they don't want the winds too high or temperature above 99 degrees. that's in the warm weather. but typically we're looking at the hot weather season now and yes it looks like for this

evening we're anticipating that launch to go off around 7:13 for this evening. take a look at the excessive heat watch that we're looking at right now across the southwest central united states. oklahoma city 106 the expected high reading. heat advisory out from arkansas into portions of louisiana. extending across much of east texas including houston with 104 degrees expected. i want to show you the daytime high temperatures across the south central united states. for atlanta, temperatures running around three to five degrees cooler than they typically should be. boston should make it to 80. i want to point out what's happening in phoenix. looking at 114 degrees for this afternoon, and yesterday, tucson for the first time this season they made it 105. big storms are expected for this morning, for this afternoon across the northern tier states turnser midwest could see the possibility of some frequent lightning, heavy downpours and lots of rainfall especially

right across this region where nebraska and kansas meet. we're looking at storms there. t. j., betty, lots going on in the weather. >> he is the youngest to serve as president of the oldest civil right organization in the country. i'm talking about the naacp, about his present and past and where he's going. tylenol arthritis works with your body to block the pain, without interfering with certain high blood pressure medicines like aleve sometimes can. ♪ so you don't just feel better, you feel better knowing doctors recommend tylenol more than any other brand of pain reliever. ♪

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♪ african-american men tend to die earlier of disease than other american men. >> those trends are trying to be stopped. >> i'm dr. thomas. what's going on? >> how are you doing? >> good, good. deep breath, in and out for me. >> reporter: dr. pete thomas is a black pie near. >> what sort of medical problems did you have before you got shot? >> reporter: he's committed to the health and well being of black men whose life expectancy

is eight years less than the national average. >> we're going work with your diet. what's going on with your leg. stop smoking. >> reporter: dr. thomas has found an innovative way to get health care to black men and get black men to the doctor, it's called project brotherhood. >> we know how to get men to the health center. and it's not by advertising free colonoscopies. >> try to get everybody come down there. >> reporter: project brotherhood begins here in this chicago basher shop and many other basher shops. >> great hinge to share with people. >> reporter: why basher shops? why are they critical to you? >> this is a staple in our community. men feel comfortable coming into the shop and they feel comfortable talking about whatever health issues that they

may have. >> reporter: whether it's a fear of being exploited, going back to an experiment, the economics including lack of health insurance or the fact that most doctors don't look like them, black men are reluctant to go the doctor. so, with clippers in one hand and hiv testing kit in the other, the basher the project brotherhood's first line of defense against problems that plague the black community like high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and hiv. >> it was kind of like gut wrenches as far as the numbers. hiv. who is infected. therefore we make an impact into the community so it was something i want to see grow to the next level. >> reporter: bashers, like corey smith do more than just educate while they cut and trim. >> see the doctor to see what's going on. >> reporter: they recruit,

encouraging their client to go see a doctor. every thursday men come to chicago's south side for free hair cuts, conversation, classes, meditation and, yes, free doctors' visits. project brotherhood's goal, to treat the whole man. >> social, physical, economical, spiritual. if one aspect is off in a man's life he's not completely healthy. >> reporter: their patients run the gamut from those with serious medical issues. >> you have 12 medications. >> yes. >> reporter: two others who receive preventative care. >> i want to check -- take an std test also and make sure

everything is kosher because i haven't been to the hospital in years. >> reporter: this clinic has six doctors, all of them black pap remarkable number given that blacks make up only 4.5% of this country's physician. it's critical because black men are most likely to trust a doctor who is black. for dr. pete thomas the fight is personal. his father and brother were victims of poor health care. his father died in 1989 after years of unregulated high blood pressure and his younger brother contracted hiv in the early '90s. the disease progressed and passed away from aids in 2001. >> i thought if i could choose a career that could hope the address these chronic diseases that were affecting both juan and my dad and so men's health became the most natural thing for me to do. >> cn nn continues its "black in

america" stories. you want to watch people stepping up and creating absolutions. "black in america 2" appears on july 22nd and july 23rd only on cnn. >> president obama has a busy morning. we'll be talking to our political expert in a bit. >> you sat down with spike lee. he was in the house in atlanta, in fact, as well talking about the 20th anniversary of the movie "do the right thing." having the right tools is crucial to being able to manage your diabetes properly. it's very important for me to uh check my blood sugar before i go on stage. being on when i'm feeling low can be like a rollercoaster.

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this is the man talking. >> all right, all right. >> doctor. >> what? >> always do the right thing. >> that's it? >> that's it. >> got it, i'm gone. >> that's it. do the right thing, simple as that. always try to do the right thing. 20 years. here with spike lee director of that groundbreaking film. it's been 20 years. >> gone. >> gone. what has that film, do you know in '89 when it first came out, how was that film evolved and maybe picked up steam along the way? >> when i was writing that film, it took the temperature, the racial climate, specifically in new york city at the time. it was very polarized. nypd was at the height of its

brutality. mayor ed koch didn't help alleviate the situation. that's where my mindset was when i wrote the script. >> you said you western sure at the time, you knew what you were thinking but you didn't know if the message you were trying to get across would come across. >> knew it would come across. here's the thing with a film maimer that i found 20 years. you can't predict how the audience will react. you have to put it out there and let god take care of everything else. i could not predict what the reception would be. >> you believe that? 20 years later. >> i think that's a testament to the power of the film and i'm glad it happened. and 20 years went fast too. at the time i was not married, now i have two children. so i lot of things of happening. i never thought there would be an african-american president 20 years ago, three years ago.

>> on that point, i'll roll a clip from the movie. you brought the president there. it was his first date or the first movie he had seen? >> it was their first date. >> first date. >> michele and barraack. >> he told me that when he was running in illinois. i didn't know who he was. >> you know now. let's take a look at one of the clips. let's take a quick look. >> hey, how come my brother is on the wall. >> you can put your brothers and uncles and nieces and stepmother stepfather. but this is my pizzaria. american-italians only.

>> you own this. rarely do i see any american-italians eating in here. all i see is black folks. since we spend much money here we do have a say. >> a lot of the characters you created and conversations you sparked, if that movie was released today would it play the same in 2009 as in '89 and why not? >> i don't know. i'm in a different place. the world is different than it was back then. the film is still relevance dye, even with the black president still relevance today. >> why? >> i don't agree with this post-racial whatever thing is. to me that's insane. not like this thing has disappeared because barack is in the white house. we have a lot of work to do. at the same time the country has made great progress. >> he's had a long career. a couple of movies before "do

the right thing." i asked him what is your proudest piece of work, i love them all. maybe that's the ultimate spike lee joint that put him on the map. but to him, they are all works i'm proud of. >> the thing about it too, he's only 26 years old when he made that. wow. >> he had final cut. sometimes when we talked to him last night, sometimes he went in with the bigwig, the executives, lord have mercy, if you cut this it will be a problem. he got final cut on it and it was his final product an he didn't have to compromise. >> people still talking about it to this day. >> whatever you think about this movie, send your comments about this or anything else. send it to cnn.com/newsroom. send it to facebook or twitter.

hello, everybody. this is cnn sunday morning, sun july 12th. good morning. >> hello to you all. it's 7:00 a.m. here in atlanta, georgia. 6:00 a.m. in memphis tennessee. thank you for starting your day with us. president obama is starting his day at home for a change this morning. he's back to the white house after a week long trip overseas. he and the first family visited ghana. see the picture of them getting off the helicopter. that was the last leg in ghana of his trip from which he attended the g-8 summit in italy. >> the tough economy took a serious toll on two boston area zoos. >> a $4.5 million cut may force officials to not only close the zoos but euthanize some of those animals if the zoos close and they can't find a home for them. we have the story. >> we're getting some response.

we'll talk about that shortly. but first, filling a vacancy on the u.s. supreme court, sonia sotomayor goes before the senate judiciary committee for confirmation hearings starting tomorrow morning. president obama nominated sotomayor to the court in may. can you see the confirmation hearings at 10:00 a.m. eastern tomorrow. a lot will come up. always surprises when we see these things. follow it on cnn live this week. california officials could be close to resolving a massive $26 billion budget deficit after bargaining for more than two hours yesterday top california lawmakers say a deal could be on the table this week. thousands of vendors had to be issued ious. state work hers to take three days a month without pay. >> officials exhumed graves

after employees were accused of digging of graves to resell burial plots. police have declared parts of the cemetery a crime scene. >> president obama is back in washington and most likely getting ready for a busy political week ahead. so is deputy political direct paul steinhowser. so what's on top of the president's political agenda this week? >> reporter: two things. you mentioned sonia sotomayor. the white house will keep a close eye on those. the other big thing this week and for the rest of the month is health care, legislation slowly making its way through five different committees on capitol hill and there's been some push back and you'll see the president and his team, of course, get deeply involved with health care the rest of this

month. the president said at a news conference on friday over in italy that he wanted to see, see get legislation to the floor of the house and senate before they take their summer break. the president heads out to michigan on tuesday and expected to give a speech and reportedly it will be about the economy. >> isn't he headed to new york to give a historic speech? >> reporter: yes the naacp's convention gets under way today in new york. now they will close with it a big speak on thursday and that will be barack obama, and it was last year that then candidate barack obama spoke at the naacp convention in cincinnati. he praised the leadership for the civil rights battles of the 1960s but did say that african-americans need to get more involved with their children. >> i want to ask you about this. there's a fierce political battle in new jersey and one candidate may need the president's clout to keep his office. explain what's at stake. >> reporter: a lot at stake in

new jersey. on thursday, the president will be on the campaign trail with governor jon corzine, a fellow democrat. governor corzine up for reelection and he's behind in the polls. first time this year the president will have gone out on the campaign trail and helped a fellow democrat. he's been doing fundraisers but two very close races in new jersey and virginia. the president would like to see both those seats stay in democrat hands. >> thanks so much, paul. we're going to talk more politics later with wolf blitzer. he fills in for john king on "state of the union" this morning. kathleen sebelius will join wolf to talk health care and the latest on swine flu. "state of the union" this morning starting at 9:00 eastern. also this. anderson cooper was with president obama on his historic trip to africa. monday night at 10:00 eastern don't miss the a c360 special

report as anderson shares his exclusive access with the president on his yourn to frooik. that's tomorrow night at 10:00 eastern on cnn. >> eric holder is considering whether to appoint a criminal prosecutor to investigate bush's methods to question terror suspects. it runs counter to president obama's wishes to leave probes in the past. holder is expected to make a decision within the next few weeks. the president, as we mention this morning, back in the states from his trip to ghana, but on thursday the president will speak at the naacp convention in new york. the group celebrating it's 100th anniversary. it's celebrating with a new leader at the helm, ben jealous, the youngest the naacp ever has had as president. he has a new perspective and new

priorities. i asked him about them. >> folks will say the 20th century is the century of the naacp. but our generation knows in our hearts as much as we benefitted from the dreams of our ancestors and hard work, we're the most murdered generation in this country, most incarcerated generation on the planet. when you ask yourself who will fight those battles, it's hard to imagine them being won unless the naacp is in full force. >> why do you think they wanted you? you're a young man from a different era running the oldest civil rights organization in this country. >> the person who was youngest before me was very early in the at the entrepreneur in the naacp. and he was 38 years old. he played an integral role in his generation to really embrace the organization and build it up and really lay the ground work that was built upon.

this is a moment like that. this is a pivotal point where we got to get a generation of people to buy into the naacp. buy into this association, it's vision for civil rights and human right in this country and to define ourselves as players for as long as it takes. we don't just fight on an issue for years, we fight for decades. the battle of jim crow, you know, was 30 years. desegregate america is still ongoing. the battle to level the political playing field we started that really in earnest in the mid-1960s and we're still celebrating victories. obama is the first black president. we're almost excited that philadelphia and mississippi just got their first black mayor. it's a lot. >> what does naacp expect from president obama >> we expect him to fulfill his

promises. we also expect him to go back to work. let's be real clear. a lot of people pushed to bail out wall street and bail out main street. we need to make sure and we intend he fixes back street. we get back to where we were a year ago, two years ago, black unemployment was well above 10%. that's not acceptable. just not acceptable. >> how is he doing so far? >> so far he's doing pretty well. the transition in washington has been more slowly than people have expected. >> how patient is the naacp going to be? >> we've been patient and they keep giving us reasons to keep the faith. >> a lot of people say there's a black man in the white house. how in the world can you say a black person can't make it. obviously, black people can make it, if you can make to it the white house. >> you know, i actually grew up in one of those families like most black families we were told at the end of the day we didn't

have any excuse. and so when you look right now at the situation, yes, you don't have to say no excuses, young man, you have to push as hard as can you but you also in the same breath have to say no excuses for not fighting the fight on behalf of all your brothers and sisters and cousins or half the family that's not doing as well. don't think for a second. don't think your success is yours alone or that success done come with a responsibility to make a way for others. >> all right. and, again, feel free to chime in on what you heard or any other topic. you'll find us on twitter, facebook, cnn.com and cnn.com s cnn.com/newsroom. >> what did you print? >> it's starting to work.

>> all right. yesterday we also asked if the naacp was still relevant. i got some responses from you. you answered that question. talking about a black person can make it. the mission changes along the way. not the same when the naacp was started. still there's a need he claims. also a lot of people think that gay marriage is a civil right issue you, one that the naacp should take up. well they are not necessarily taking it up. what exactly is their national policy on gay rights. done have one. may be surprised to hear why. next part of the conversation coming up in the next hour. >> also, steve mcnair laid to rest by his family and friends. how will his death affect his legacy? ( instrumental music playing )

- announcer: live a little... - ( crickets chirping ) - ( helicopter whirring ) - ...a lot. the first-ever is convertible from lexus. ♪ searching for answers ♪ you're asking here and there ♪ ♪ trying to solve the problems ♪ 5,000 people attended saturday's funeral for former nfl quarterback steve mcnair. the mcnair family provided buses for people from his home town mount olive, mississippi.

mcnair was shot and killed by his mistress a week ago. he leaves behind a wife and four children. a lot of questions surrounding the death of steve mcnair, but one of them having to do with his sports career. what about the chances of him getting into the hall of fame. let's talk to our sports reporter about this and a couple of other thing. rick, good morning to you. what kind of a damper has this put on his legacy, a guy certainly, he did his thing on field but he also had a reputation for being on the up and up off the field. >> reporter: yeah. we'll see about the hall of fame. he's eligible in 2013. he rewrote the record books. he lost out to a big school colorado guy for the heisman trophy. a magnificent career. and he was couple feet away from winning the super bowl when the rams just beat the titans off the field.

he had deals with airtran, the state of mississippi, he was consistently in the top 25 in jersey sales, opened a restaurant called grade iron 9 in nashville. he'll be missed off and on the field. >> how did you take the comments -- i don't have them here for view towers listen to, comments some of his former teammates made about adjustment to life after football. i don't want to say they were trying to excuse maybe his behavior after he got out of football, dealing with his mistress as she's called and believed to be now but how did you take those comments that maybe he was having some kind of a tough time. >> reporter: nobody should judge whether these are excuses or whether it's a tough time or not. he left behind clearly a loving family and when you listen to vince young and ray lewis and brett favre who were all at the funeral including 5,000 other admirers, whatever happened in that whole incidence it probably shouldn't detract from his hall of fame resume, his hall of fame

pedigree, quite clearly and the nfl could do a better job of preparing people generally for life after football and that's one of commissioner roger goodell's top priorities in any event. >> we talked about baseball, then some negative news here about athletes and drugs and steroids and so on in major league baseball, there's a positive. we're at the halfway point, time for all-star break and there's money involved in cities that very much could use it. >> reporter: $60 million positive. that's the dollars that st. louis expects. 250,000 people coming in from other places to go to this game in st. louis for 50,000 seats. that's why they are about six grand a piece. we'll have the game and most importantly the cardinals are in first place. it's a big deal economically for st. louis. that's why i'm wearing red, go cardinals, by the way. thank you st. louis and thank you all-star game for something that the city badly needs

economically. >> any more thank you? >> reporter: thank you to you for putting up with me. >> betty u got anything >> thank you. you put up with a lot. thanks, rick. >> always good to see you, buddy. >> he wasn't sincere at all. electric cars they might be the wave of the future but we found out for now they have their limitations. >> reporter: hey guys, we're about to drive an actual electric car through the streets of atlanta and this is a pretty serious speed limit on this. let's see how it goes. >> yeah. we're going to see how josh in his little yellow car did. stay with us. (announcer) it is the most advanced automobile we have ever created. a car that can help awaken its driver if he begins to doze... keep him in his lane if he starts to wander... even stop itself if he becomes distracted. if you want to see the future of the automobile,

just look at the new e-class... today. this is the 9th generation e-class. this is mercedes-benz.

♪ it doesn't go as fast as a corvette. >> i'll give you a hard time. every time we go somewhere you make me drive. you get one of those you don't have to ask again.

i'll always drive. no problem driving. that is the car you own. we're talking about the electric car, automakers are busy developing these things these days hoping they may be the wave of the future. >> some electric cars are already on the market though they might not be the answer to all your driving needs like if you need speed. >> reporter: we have the anvil here today. what is this >> it's a low speed vehicle. certainly a lot more creative than what you're accustomed to seeing. >> reporter: let's break this one. it's a wide car. >> very wide which gives you more features inside. >> reporter: where are all the electric gears? all packed into here? >> some. >> reporter: i didn't break it by knocking on it. >> no. smart charger up front. battery back under the seat. >> reporter: what distinguishes

this from a glorified golf cart >> this has up to 50 horsepower. a government cart has a 46 inch wheel path. this has 60 inches. we won rub shoulders. heated seats. more moments. >> reporter: let give it a shot. first of all, you have this, which is forward and reverse. >> on the left side here, the first button there with the t, it works as a turbo button, gives you 30 second of peak horsepower. ♪ >> reporter: it feels like an average car. it's a little bit harder to speed up. but once it doerks it just carries on its own. don't need to hit the gas or anything. ♪ shut up and drive ♪ shut up and drive

>> reporter: we're driving on the roads that are best for this kind of car because it only goes up to 25 miles per hour it's best to only be on roads that go up to 35 or up to 30. why would someone buy this car when they can spend the same amount of money and get car that has side windows and is completely covered and has air conditioning. >> it's green, doing the right thing, it's fun to drive and done use any fuel. >> reporter: if you're a family, have a couple of cars and want to do the right thing and save money on gas get this as a third car. >> yes. that's happening every day. americans are driving about 15 billion miles a week. we can make a difference. hopefully the consumer will drive the demand.

>> you might get one of those. >> might. i might not. >> he's not fall for it at all. >> you're not hopping on the ban wagon. >> hello. part of the car is missing, right? >> they say they will develop all weather enclosures like the way you can close it -- >> that might be helpful, especially if it's range outside. >> yeah or cold or extremely hot. something to watch out for. look what's behind me. if you want a real electric car, you can spend $110,000 and see a few electric cars out there. if you want something that's affordable, you're down to what we're talking here, $7,000 to $10,000 for a gem. check it out. if you want something affordable you'll get something right now that's missing a lot of basic things you're used to getting in a car. >> yes. key things too. thank you, john. >> we have to look into that at

that little more. >> give it a little time. >> especially a bike. you're just outside. >> or a golf cart. >> yeah. >> all right. we'll move on to this. president obama met with pope benedict this week and gave him a give and what is it and what's the significance? that's at 8:00. >> also coming up in just a little bit, wolf little bitter will join us live next hour to talk to us about the showdown at the supreme court, what questions sonia sotomayor may face during hearings that are coming up tomorrow. my cholesterol and other risk factors... increased my chance of a heart attack. i should've done something. now, i trust my heart to lipitor. when diet and exercise are not enough, adding lipitor may help. unlike some other cholesterol lowering medications, lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk... of heart attack, stroke, and certain kinds of heart surgeries... in patients with several common risk factors...

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♪ all right. so all you and mall lovers out there, you might cringe at this story. officials at two zoos in boston say because of budget cuts and the fact that they need funding and may not get it, one they may be forced to close and two they

may have to euthanize some of the animals if they can't find homes. we're hearing from you. thomas says what? aren't zoos supposed to be animal refuges? what are we in the 19th-century again. this is completely ridiculous. we're hearing outrage. quickly on the twitter page, if i can get that pulled up here. the beauty of technology. joe says, so much more the subtle approach. sound something like a kidnapper would say. pay up or we'll kill them. >> cruising granny, i like her name she responded saying of course there's a better way to do this. her suggestion is to fire some management and get volunteers to help out. lots of people would help the animals. also, if the zoos says that's what they should consider they should b